Reconciliation
Reconciliation is the conflict-resolution step in double-screening projects. When two reviewers screen the same study and reach different decisions, a designated reconciler reviews both decisions and makes the final call. Studies where both reviewers agree are handled automatically through auto-reconciliation.
Reconciliation is only available in projects configured with double screening. Single-screening projects use quality check (QC) instead.
When disagreements occur
A disagreement occurs when:
- Reviewer A includes a study and Reviewer B excludes it (or vice versa)
- The two reviewers choose different exclusion reasons for the same study
Studies where both reviewers make the same decision (both include or both exclude with compatible reasons) are auto-reconciled and do not appear in the reconciliation queue.
The reconciler role
The reconciler is a team member assigned the Reconciler role in the project settings. This is typically the project lead or a senior reviewer who understands the inclusion criteria well. A single person can act as both a screener and a reconciler in a project.
The reconciliation workflow
Open the reconciliation queue
The reconciler navigates to the Title/Abstract Screening or Full-Text Screening page and opens the Reconciliation tab. This lists all studies with unresolved disagreements.
Open a disagreement
Click a study to open the reconciliation interface. The study's title, abstract, and metadata are displayed alongside both reviewers' decisions and their exclusion reasons (if applicable).
Review both decisions
Read the study details and consider both reviewers' reasoning. The reconciler can see which reviewer made which decision, providing context for each choice.
Make the final decision
Click Include or Exclude to record the final decision. If excluding, select the exclusion reason. The reconciler can select either reviewer's reason or enter a different one.
Proceed to the next disagreement
The study is marked as reconciled and removed from the queue. Continue until all disagreements are resolved.
Seeing both reviewers' decisions
The reconciliation interface clearly labels each decision by reviewer. This helps the reconciler understand whether the disagreement reflects a borderline study, a misreading of the inclusion criteria, or a consistent difference in interpretation between the two reviewers.
If you notice a pattern - one reviewer consistently excluding studies the other includes - it may indicate a difference in how the two reviewers are interpreting a criterion. Consider discussing the criteria with the screening team before completing reconciliation.
Reviewing reconciled studies
After reconciliation is complete, the Reconciled tab shows all studies that have been resolved, including:
- The final decision and reason
- Both original reviewer decisions
- Whether the reconciler sided with Reviewer A, Reviewer B, or chose a different decision
Reconciled decisions are final and feed directly into the next phase (either full-text screening or data extraction, depending on which phase has been reconciled).